WhileThe Lincoln Lawyerhas earned its place as a great show,Boston Legaltakes the top spot for the best legal drama of all time. Adapted from Michael Connelly’s book series about a lawyer who prefers to work in the backseat of his Lincoln to the office,The Lincoln Lawyerbecame one ofNetflix’s top legal dramas. Its quick pace, charismatic lead character, and engaging legal cases all add to the series’ allure.
The Lincoln Lawyeris easily the most memorable legal drama of recent years, butthere are other shows that came before the Netflix series that were just as good, or in some cases, better, thanthe David E. Kelley drama. One, which was released in 2004 and also penned by Kelley, revolutionized legal dramas and proved that shows about lawyers didn’t have to be monotonic or boring.
The Lincoln Lawyer Is Great, But Boston Legal Is Even Better
Boston Legal Has Better Characters
The Lincoln Lawyeris a rare legal drama that’s easy for audiences to lose themselves in. The series has intriguing court cases with a side of mystery and shocking twists. What makesThe Lincoln Lawyerstand out from other showsin the genre is its primary protagonist,Mickey Haller, who is charismatic, witty, and willing to do whatever it takes to help his clientswith their legal troubles.
That being said,The Lincoln Lawyerdoesn’t hold a candle to one of Kelley’s best works,Boston Legal. The 2004 show had a unique take on telling stories about lawyers. It was chock-full of quirky characters who made questionable decisions, particularly James Spader’s Alan Shore, whose humor, wit, and eccentricities remain unmatched.
Boston Legalis a perfect example of how a show can infuse humor into its premise without using cheap laughs in place of deep topics. While the law and courtroom scenes are a big part ofBoston Legal,the series heavily focuses on its characters and their interaction with each other. Shore and Danny Crane’s scenes together inBoston Legalare some of the funniest and heartwarming moments in the series.
How Boston Legal Is Different From David E. Kelley’s Other Lawyer Shows
Boston Legal Is As Much A Comedy As A Legal Drama
Kelley has been creating legal dramas for most of his career, and some of them have set the standard for shows about lawyers.Goliath,The Practice, andPresumed Innocentwere all written bythe legal dramamastermind. Most of Kelley’s legal dramas, apart fromBoston Legal, have a dark and somewhat somber tone.
WhileBoston Legaldidn’t shy away from delving into important topics,it placed comedy at its center. Compared to Kelley’s other legal dramas,Boston Legalwas less serious and featured many lighthearted moments that were usually a result of Shore and Crane’s wild antics.
Boston Legal Is Still The Benchmark For Legal Dramas 17 Years Later
Boston Legal’s Intriguing Narrative Opened Doors For Other Legal Dramas
There have been several legal dramas that have been created sinceBoston Legaldebuted, but it remains a blueprint for many shows about lawyers.Boston Legalnot only proved that a spinoff series could be just as good or better than its parent show, but its character-driven narrative provided a road map for legal dramas.
Legal dramas likeSuits, in a way, exist becauseBoston Legalproved that there was a vested interest in shows about lawyers that weren’t ordinary.
WhatBoston Legaldid so well was how it added humor to its premise and made it with eccentric characters who, at times, blurred the line between right and wrong. Legal dramas likeSuits, in a way, exist becauseBoston Legalproved that there was a vested interest in shows about lawyers that weren’t ordinary.
Boston Legal
Cast
Boston Legal is a legal comedy-drama series created by David E. Kelley and initially premiered in 2004. The series follows the exploits of the Crane, Poole & Schmidt law firm staff helmed by Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Alan Shore (James Spader) as the attorneys dabble into the legal gray area to take on cases deemed “unwinnable.”
The Lincoln Lawyer
The Lincoln Lawyer: This legal drama follows Mickey Haller, a Los Angeles defense attorney known for operating from his Lincoln Town Car, as he revives his career after an accident by taking on a high-profile murder case. The series explores challenges within the justice system and Haller’s pursuit of truth.
